From CSIF's perspective, we can affirm, based on our experience, that parliamentarians are more concerned with their own interests than with the real problems of teachers.
The union intervened in the education committee of the Canary Islands parliament to denounce that the proposal lacks real mechanisms, deadlines and funding
The Independent Trade Union and Civil Servants' Association (CSIF) appeared before the Education Committee of the Parliament of the Canary Islands during the processing of the Bill on the recognition of the authority of teachers (11L/PPL-0007), conveying a firm and unambiguous message: The regulation, as it is currently formulated, is mostly declarative and does not guarantee real and effective protection for teachers in the Canary Islands.
During its speech, CSIF was emphatic in stating that the mere fact of having to pass a law to ensure the authority of teachers "represents a true failure of the Canary Islands education system," a failure in which —according to the organization— all the political forces that have held government responsibilities at some point are reflected.
A LAW THAT REITERATES WHAT ALREADY EXISTS. CSIF made it clear that it shares the formal objective of strengthening teachers' authority and improving coexistence in schools. However, it denounced the text:
- It reproduces what is already established in state regulations on public authority and presumption of truthfulness.
- It reiterates existing obligations regarding legal assistance.
- It does not create new procedures.
- It does not establish any deadlines for action.
- It does not set a budget allocation.
- It does not incorporate real improvements in the working conditions of the teaching staff.
For the union, the risk is clear: “Without resources, without deadlines and without mandatory regulatory development, this law could become a political declaration without real transformative effectiveness in the workplaces.”
AUTHORITY IS NOT IMPOSED BY DECREE. CSIF argued in parliament that authority is not built solely from “potestas” (normative power), but from “auctoritas”: professional prestige, institutional support and adequate conditions to perform the teaching function.
In this regard, the union recalled that it has been demanding the following for years:
- Reduction of ratios.
- Template stability.
- Reinforcement of human resources.
- Effective career development.
- Improvement of working conditions.
"Authority is not imposed by decree; it is built with institutional support, decent working conditions, and effective professional recognition.“CSIF stressed to the parliamentary groups.
FROM SYMBOLIC TO GUARANTEE-BASED. In its statement, the union organization insisted that it does not question the objective of the law, but rather its lack of specificity.
Teachers do not need a regulatory reiteration of already recognized rights; they need:
- Immediate activation of legal defense.
- Mandatory protocols in the event of attacks.
- Real economic coverage of damages.
- Reinforcement of staff in conflict centers.
- Effective and budgeted development of the teaching career.
LEGAL RIGOR AND REGULATORY SECURITY. During its appearance, CSIF also raised the need to maximize the technical and legal rigor of the text to avoid possible jurisdictional problems, recalling that an autonomous law cannot alter the criminal concept of authority or encroach upon exclusive state powers.
The organization argued that the recognition of authority must be clearly defined in the administrative and disciplinary sphere, guaranteeing the legal security of the teaching staff without compromising the validity of the rule.
REAL BACKING, NOT HEADLINES. CSIF concluded its intervention with a clear message to the parliamentary groups: “If this law is to be useful, it must move from the symbolic to the operational, from the declarative to the guaranteeing, from programmatic to budgeted and from formal to a real protection tool.”
The union organization reiterated that it will continue to defend a model of professional and independent unionism that is not satisfied with legislative headlines, but demands effective regulations, sufficient resources and real respect for teachers.
The teachers of the Canary Islands —CSIF concluded— need effective institutional support, not merely formal recognition.
